March 30th, 2025 - The Regis of Ronnie's Trinity

 

Guten abend and happy Sunday night my hard rocking friends and beer lovers!  You pal the Meista here again with another killer brew and killer album pairing for ya!  I'm rocking out to the wonderful "Trinity", the third solo album by Pretty Maids vocalist Ronnie Atkins and a crisp and tasty Regis Select Helles Lager from Helper Beer!  Hell[es] yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Ronnie Atkins
• Title: "Trinity"
• Recorded: 2023
• Release date: October 13th, 2023 (3rd solo studio album by Ronnie Atkins)
• Record company: Frontiers Records
• Production: Chris Laney
• Album cover art: Kai Brockschmidt
• Personnel: Ronnie Atkins (lead vocals) with Pontus Egberg (bass), Linnéa Vikström Egg (backing vocals), Chris Laney (guitars and keyboards), Allan Sörensen (drums), and Marcus Sunesson (guitars)
• Guest musicians: John Berg (guitar solo on "Godless"), Oliver Hartmann (guitar solos on "Ode To A Madman" and "Paper Tiger"), Pontus Norgren (guitar solo on "Raining Fire"), Anders Ringman (acoustic guitar and keyboards on "Soul Divine"), and Marcus Sunesonn (guitar solos on "Via Dolorosa", "Shine", "Sister Sinister", and "What If")
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, AOR
• Sound: Well-rooted in classic rock and metal, the tracks are richly textured and wonderfully produced!  The overall sound on "Trinity" is at times melodic and heartfelt, and at time in-your-face rockin' intensity!  Of the album, Atkins stated: "Likely the heaviest of the three albums I've released so far but nevertheless it's very melodic and lyrically present."
• Major themes: Of the album's lyrics, Atkins stated: "Lyrically it’s pretty much about what’s going on in the world today and that’s what inspires me. A lot of the songs are pretty personal too and I’m trying to squeeze in a bit of optimism into it as well."  Themes include life, death, power, honesty, survival, hope, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Trinity"
2. "Ode To A Madman"
3. "Paper Tiger"
4. "Soul Divine"
5. "Via Dolorosa"
6. "Godless"
7. "Shine"
8. "If You Can Dream It"
9. "Sister Sinister"
10. "Raining Fire"
11. "The Unwanted"
    
12. "What If"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Helper Beer (Helper, Utah)
• Website: https://www.helperbeer.com/
• Brew: Regis Select Helles Lager 
• Style: German-style Helles / Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• Pour: The Regis pours a clear, bright golden yellow with a billowy, 1+ finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is bready, grainy, musty, sweet, and grassy.  There are aromas of pale grains, cereal grains, crackery biscuit, light apple, summer grass, and soft caramel. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Flötzinger Hell is grainy, grassy, yeasty, and semi-sweet.  There are notes of barley grain, light apple, light corn, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body with lots of bubbly carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and smooth with a rather clean, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The crisp, grainy, and sweet flavors and aromas of the Helper Regis Select Helles Lager is the perfect crushable brew for the power and hard rockin' depth of the fantastic tracks on Ronnie Atkins' fantastic "Trinity" album!  The grassy and grainy notes are great for the more aggressive guitars, while the sweeter fruit ester aromas and flavors really compliment Atkins' vocal range and the overall performance of the music!  I highly recommend this wonderful gem of an album! 

Prost!!  Rock on!!